2 Chronicles 25

Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king. He ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jehoaddan, and she was from Jerusalem.

2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

2He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. But he did not do it with his whole heart.

3Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father.

3Once his rule was strong and safe, he put to death the servants who had killed his father the king.

4But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.

4But he did not kill their children. He obeyed the law written in the book of Moses. There the LORD said this: parents must not be put to death for what their children did. Children must not be put to death for what their parents did. Each person must die for his own sin.

5Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.

5Amaziah called the men of Judah together. He put leaders over groups of a thousand and groups of a hundred. He sorted the men by their families. He counted every man twenty years old and older in Judah and Benjamin. He found 300,000 strong men ready for war. They knew how to use a spear and a shield.

6He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.

6He also hired 100,000 brave fighters from Israel. He paid them a hundred talents of silver.

NoteA talent was a large weight of silver, about 75 pounds. A hundred talents was a huge amount of money.

7But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.

7But a man of God came to him. He said, "King, do not let Israel's army go with you. The LORD is not with Israel. He is not with any of the people of Ephraim."

8But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.

8"Even if you go and fight bravely, God will make you fall before your enemy. God has power to help, and power to bring down."

9And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.

9Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid Israel's army?" The man of God answered, "The LORD can give you much more than that."

10Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

10So Amaziah sent the soldiers from Ephraim back home again. They were very angry at Judah. They went home burning with anger.

11And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.

11Amaziah gathered his strength and led his own men out. They went to the Valley of Salt. There he struck down ten thousand men of Seir.

12And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.

12Judah's army also caught ten thousand men alive. They took them to the top of a high rock. They threw them down, and all of them were broken to pieces.

13But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

13Meanwhile the soldiers Amaziah had sent home attacked towns in Judah. They went from Samaria all the way to Beth-horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off many goods.

14Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

14Amaziah came home from beating the people of Edom. He brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods. He bowed down to them and burned sweet-smelling smoke for them.

15Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?

15So the LORD grew angry with Amaziah. He sent him a prophet, a person who spoke God's words to others. The prophet asked, "Why do you turn to these gods? They could not even save their own people from you."

16And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

16While the prophet was still speaking, the king cut in. He said, "Did we make you the king's advisor? Stop! Do you want to be struck down?" So the prophet stopped. But he said, "I know God has decided to destroy you. You did this, and you did not listen to my advice."

17Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.

17Then Amaziah king of Judah talked it over with his advisors. He sent a message to Joash king of Israel, son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu. The message said, "Come, let us meet face to face."

Note"Let us meet face to face" was not a friendly visit. It was a dare to come and fight a battle.

18And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

18Joash king of Israel sent an answer to Amaziah king of Judah. He said, "A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree in Lebanon. The thistle said, 'Give your daughter to my son to marry.' Then a wild animal in Lebanon walked by and stepped on the thistle."

19Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

19"You say you have beaten Edom. Now your heart is proud, and you like to boast. Stay home. Why stir up trouble that will hurt you? You will fall, and Judah will fall with you."

20But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

20But Amaziah would not listen. This came from God. God would hand Judah over to their enemies, because they had turned to the gods of Edom.

21So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.

21So Joash king of Israel marched out. He and Amaziah king of Judah met face to face. They met at Beth-shemesh, a town that belonged to Judah.

22And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

22Judah lost the battle to Israel. Every man ran away to his own home.

23And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

23At Beth-shemesh, Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz. Joash brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the city wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That part of the wall was four hundred cubits long.

NoteFour hundred cubits is about six hundred feet. A cubit was the length from a man's elbow to his fingertips.

24And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

24He took all the gold and silver. He took all the dishes and tools kept in God's house with Obed-edom. He took the riches from the king's palace, and he took people as hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.

25And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

25Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen more years. That was after Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, died.

26Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

26The rest of the things Amaziah did, from start to finish, are written down. You can find them in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

27Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

27From the time Amaziah turned away from the LORD, people in Jerusalem made a secret plan against him. He ran away to the town of Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.

28And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

28They brought his body back on horses. They buried him with his family in the city of Judah.